October 1, 2009

Today I have that my-bones-are-jelly feeling as a result of revisiting the Ladies with Anja. We met at 11:30 and didn't leave until 5:00 pm (the lady at the front desk: "You two are still here?). Anja was much less interested in the lying around in the sauna part of the day, which was probably good as I spent a lot more time actually on the cross-trainer than I probably would have otherwise. Either way, post-workout, post-sauna, post-whirlpool, I managed to fall asleep in a hammock wrapped in my towel.

Afterwards C. and I saw an apartment that smelled like toilet and decided not to take it. It used to be a lawyer's office, and was therefore suitably decorated in dark wood-paneling, complete with urinal in the washroom -- which, accompanied by the workmen currently renovating, probably accounted for the smell. The apartment search continues.

Following closely is the job/visa search. No news. Just anxiety.

Christian's birthday is on Saturday, and he and two other friends are having what will most likely be a completely insane night to provide good stories for years to come. Christian, Michi, and Gunter's party will take place in some fraternity house out in the country. All three of them are turning 25. I hope they make it to 26. If there are any survivors, pictures will most likely follow next week.

September 29, 2009

Christian is going back to school tomorrow, so today was somewhat a tying-up of loose ends. We tied up summer and made valiant efforts to find an apartment, which is going at a slightly better pace than before, but is hindered by Christian's new work+school schedule. Luckily, I am over needing him to go with me, so I will be visiting some places by myself this week, and obstinately expecting the landlords to understand/answer my still-somewhat-garbled German, that has not yet completely come back to me.

Our summer send-off included climbing the Schlossberg and having a picnic on this stretch of grass above a well, that you have to climb over a fence to get to. It is perfectly south-west facing and tilted at just the right angle to feel like the incline of a beach. With brie, and baguette, and beer and books, and tomatoes and some paté-like meat called Streichwurst, we lay in the sun for the mid-afternoon until going to check out an apartment on Annenstrasse.

After the apartment visit we split up, and while Christian went looking for school supplies, I went for a "grosse Braune" on the Murinsel, and then read my book until the sun went behind the trees and the teenage couples around me got too close. Since then I've been looking at more apartment ads - they all start to look the same after a while - and then we are going to C's parents house for dinner and our Tuesday night TV program, which is so shameful I cannot even mention it here... on my blog.

Anyway, we'll see how I do on my own tomorrow. Project Find-Christian-a-completely-amazing-25th-birthday-present is still underway, as are a ridiculous amount of other projects.

About Me

This [was] the record of my time studying for a year in Graz; enjoying the company of Austrians (one in particular), as well as eating and drinking fine Austrian specialities. This log [did and will continue to] track my movements across the European continent, visiting friends and far off places. Except that now I am without the safety net of a student visa, or student discounts, or a student lifestyle; looking for real work in a place where some things don't translate. It will inevitably end up being a little bit more exciting.